1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to managing a large distributed computer enterprise environment and, more particularly, to generating a network topology display to facilitate application deployment in such an environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enterprises now desire to place all of their computing resources on a computer network. To this end, it is known to connect computers in a large, geographically-dispersed network environment and to manage such an environment in a distributed manner. One such management framework, known as the Tivoli Managed Environment(trademark), consists of a server that manages a number of nodes, each of which has a local object database that stores object data specific to the local node. Each managed node typically includes a management framework, comprising a number of management routines, that is capable of a relatively large number (e.g., hundreds) of simultaneous network connections to remote machines. The framework manages hundreds of megabytes of local storage and can spawn many dozens of simultaneous processes to handle method requests from local or remote users. Of these nodes, only a small percentage are file servers, name servers, database servers, or anything other than end-of-wire or so-called xe2x80x9cendpointxe2x80x9d machines. The majority of the network machines are simple personal computers (PCs) or workstations.
It is known in the art to generate and display a graphical representation or xe2x80x9cmapxe2x80x9d of the various network objects or object types that comprise such a managed environment. Typically, a submap (namely, a given portion of the overall network topology map) displays a set of symbols and connections. The symbols depict various network objects, e.g., servers, managed nodes, gateways, endpoints, repeaters, and the like, located within a managed region or across a set of managed regions. At a high level, an initial map of the managed environment (with multiple managed regions and their respective managed resources) might well show over 250 symbols and connections per server. The processing of the information necessary to display such a topology map is quite CPU intensive and, thus, the map itself takes several minutes to render, even on a relatively high-powered workstation. Moreover, the large amount of densely displayed information makes the map difficult to read and interpret.
As a result, such known topology display techniques have proven less than satisfactory as tools for planning and managing software deployments in the network. The present invention addresses this deficiency.
It is an object of this invention to provide a unique graphical representation of a network topology.
It is another object of this invention to simplify the display of a complex network topology into a graphical representation that is useful as a tool for planning and managing software deployments in a large, distributed computing environment.
It is yet another object of the invention to enable a system administrator to render information in a network topology map in a more efficient and useful manner.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of displaying information in a network topology map according to network object attributes, as opposed to mere physical connections between objects.
A more general object of this invention is to simplify the process of generating a network topology map while, at the same time, providing a map with more useful management information.
A method for displaying a network topology begins by presenting a user a set of attributes for network objects in the network. The user the selects a given attribute and an attribute value. A mapper routine of the invention then builds a topology map that includes at least one icon representing network objects that have the user-selected attribute value for the attribute. This xe2x80x9cgroupxe2x80x9d icon preferably includes a numeric, textual or graphical representation to indicate the number of objects (or perhaps some given characteristic thereof) represented by the group icon.
A set of display rules is useful for selecting network objects with like attributes to be displayed as a grouping by the icon. Using the display rules, a user may view a collection of objects as a single icon according to some physical or logical characteristic. For example, one grouping is that the objects comprising the icon share a given operating system type, a given application program or version, a given location, or the like.
According to another aspect of the invention, a display method is executable in a computer system having a processor and a display device. Preferably, the method is implemented in software. In particular, the method comprises steps executable in the processor for compiling information about the computer network and then displaying a network topology map with a plurality of icons. A given icon in the network topology map represents a set of network objects grouped according to a user-selected attribute value. The icon preferably includes a numeric, textual or graphical representation to indicate the number objects represented by the icon. A 3-dimensional icon may also be used to represent the grouping.
The present invention also describes a task deployment planning method operative in a distributed computer enterprise environment. The method begins discovering attribute values of a plurality of network objects. These attribute values are then stored in a database. In response to a user selection, the routine then builds and displays a topology map for use in planning the task deployment. The map includes at least one icon or symbol representing a set of network objects grouped according to a user-selected attribute value.
A task deployment method is also provided by the present invention. The method begins by discovering attribute values of a plurality of network objects and storing the attribute values in a database. In response to a user selection, the routine displays a topology map with at least one icon representing a grouping of network objects according to a user-selectable attribute value. The user then initiates the task deployment.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects and features of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention as will be described. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following Detailed Description of the preferred embodiment.